Early Voting Favors Obama

Early voting numbers here in the Hoosier State seem to offer some encouragement to Barack Obama's campaign:

About 20 percent of the 127,000-plus absentee ballots received as of early Friday were cast in three Indiana counties _ Marion, Monroe and Lake _ that political observers believe Obama is strongly favored to win.

Lake County has a large population of black voters and is in Chicago's shadow. Obama has typically won big among college-age voters, and Monroe County is the home of Indiana University in Bloomington. Obama's campaign sought out IU students with voter registration and early voting drives and a free Dave Matthews concert.

Robert Dion, a professor of American politics at the University of Evansville, said Obama has mounted an innovative campaign that's stressed early voting and his supporters appear more energized than those for Clinton.

"In a close race, modest advantages in organization can yield big results, and if Obama out-organizes the Clinton campaign on these absentee ballots, it would be a great boost to him," Dion said.

Regardless of the final results next Tuesday, it's likely that the state's 72 delegates will be fairly evenly split due to the closeness of the race. Although Clinton has been favored here, if Obama delivers a one-two punch with Indiana and North Carolina, it could effectively end a Clinton campaign that has already been accepted as DOA by all but the most resolute Clintonistas. . .